Black Encyclopedia

Flávio dos Santos Gomes

Jaime Lauriano

Lilia Moritz Schwarcz

This book is a milestone not only for Brazilian literature but also for the representation of Afro-descendant people. Based on the concept of Diderot's 18th-century Encyclopedia, the authors conducted extensive research in national archives to shine a light on various Black individuals who built our nation across diverse fields of knowledge.

Enciclopedia Negra cover. Phots from my archive.

Far from being an academic read—anyone who grew up in 1990s Brazil knows the Barsa encyclopedia well—the entries are concise yet provoke us to dive deeper into each personality. To support this, the authors included a robust bibliography that helps us further explore the lives of these individuals and everything produced about them so far.

Another highlight stems from a real challenge faced by the project: how do you portray people who, in most cases, never had photographs, portraits, or paintings made of them? This is where the project becomes truly special: numerous artists were invited to read the biographies in the encyclopedia and bring these individuals to life through art.

The result is remarkable: a convergence of written memory and imaginative memory, ultimately re-connecting the Brazilian people with their Black ancestors. It is the kind of book every family should own, sparking profound reflection on the system most of these people lived under, while simultaneously honoring the incredible strength they displayed throughout their lives.

The book is packed with artwork by incredible artists who participated in the project. (Photo from my archive)

Reading and re-reading this essential book is well worth the time.

Check out the video release from Lilia Schwarz :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0vZLqpUlIQ

Video Release of the book and exibhition.

Participating artists

Anilton Santos	Kika Carvalho
Andressa Monique	Lidia Lisboa
Antonio Obá	Marcelo D´Salete
Arjan Martins	Mariana Rodrigues
Ayrson Heraclito	Micaela Cyrino
Bruno Baptistelli	Michel CENA7
Castiel Vitorino	Moisés Patricio
Dalton Paula	Mônica Ventura
Daniel Lima	Mulambo
Desali	Nádia Taquary
Elian Almeida	Nathalia Ferreira
Hariel Revignet	Oga Mendonça
Heloisa Hariadne	Panmela Castro
Igi Ayedun	Rebeca Carapiá
Jackeline Romio	Renata Felinto
Jaime Lauriano	Rodrigo Bueno
Juliana dos Santos	Sonia Gomes
Kerolayne Kemblim	Tiago Sant´Ana

How about you? Were you already familiar with Enciclopédia Negra? Share your comments and thoughts below!

Synopsis

From Abdias do Nascimento to Zeferina and Zumbi dos Palmares, 416 biographical entries stage a reunion between Brazil and the silenced memory of millions of Black people. In this Enciclopédia Negra (Black Encyclopedia), Flávio dos Santos Gomes, Jaime Lauriano, and Lilia Moritz Schwarcz review the history of Brazil from colonization to the present day to restore Black leadership and protagonism. They achieve this by capturing what is unique, multifaceted, and profound in the individual lives of over five hundred and fifty figures.

Here are free professionals; mothers who fought for their family's freedom; activists and revolutionaries; healers and doctors; and religious leaders who reinvented other Africans within Brazil—people whose likenesses were erased by history. Because of this, 36 Black artists (cis and gender-inclusive) created portraits inspired by the encyclopedia's entries, collected here in a gorgeous image insert. In a moment of erratic information production and dissemination, this work helps establish a secure repository of individual and collective experiences to which—as individuals and as a society—we can turn for inspiration and guidance.

• ISBN: 9788535934007

• Publisher: Companhia das Letras

• Dimensions: 16.00 x 23.00 cm

• Page Count: 720

• Language: Portuguese